In the fifth inning, after a Jose Altuve ground-out brought the tying run across, a Jed Lowrie double drove in two, and put Houston ahead for good. He is now 11-0 at home in Houston.
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■Overheard: “He did what he’s been doing all year”, Ausmus said of Keuchel. “It’s just one of those things where we play better at home right now”. Cabrera, after all, is a two-time American League Most Valuable Player.
Starting pitcher Alfredo Simon allowed six hits and four runs while striking out two over 5.0 innings to take the loss and fall to 10-7 for the season.
Given his pedigree, it seemed somewhat dubious to question whether Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera needed a rehab assignment in advance of his return to the lineup on Friday night. Cabrera finished 0-for-3 with a walk in his first game since July 3.
“His timing is obviously not ideal”, manager Brad Ausmus said.
Simon shut down Houston’s powerful offense for four innings, but his dominance only lasted so long. He had retired nine of the first 10 batters before Ian Kinsler singled to start the fourth inning. Altuve led the way by going 2-for-4 with one RBI and one stolen base and Lowrie led with two RBI.
On a side note, Astros outfielder Carlos Gomez, who was acquired at the trade deadline, was very angry after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. His frustration boiled over in the eighth inning after his second strikeout when he slammed his bat across his thigh three times before cracking it in half. You are facing one of the best pitchers in the league. “So it’s something that you have to stop”. Meanwhile, Verlander has struggled to regain his past form, and is only 1-5 with a 4.57 ERA. He has been out since May 24.
The Houston Astros continue to be the biggest surprise in baseball this season.
Gattis tripled to KO Simon, and then scored on a well-executed safety squeeze bunt by Gonzalez.
Lowrie took a 3-0 pitch for a strike before drilling the next offering into the left-center field gap, scoring catcher Jason Castro and shortstop Carlos Correa to snap a 1-1 tie and push the Astros into their first lead.
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“He’s not fast. Let’s be honest”, Hinch said.
